Stuck Behind the Fireplace
by Friday McKenzie
Summary: What if the fireplace had never been moved? What if the connection was still broken? What if the Doctor couldn't get back. T to be safe, AU, probable DoctorXReinette, mostly in the 51st Century w/ Rose, Mickey, and two visitors. Please read and review!
1. Left Behind

Authors Note: Hello! This story is sort of a -what if the Doctor couldn't get back through the fireplace- based on the Girl in the Fireplace - type of thing... I've been sick today and so I watched Doctor Who, of course, and this is where my throbbing brain has taken me! Tell me if you like it! Reviews are love, and I love constructive criticism, too! Any ideas you may have are welcome, too! Thanks!!!

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"Help me up, Rose," the Doctor indicated towards Arthur.

"What'ch you gonna do?"

"I'm going to save Reinette." The Doctor mounted Arthur.

"But you can't!" Rose shouted.

"There's no way back, Doctor!" Mickey reasoned. "You said it yourself!"

The Doctor ignored him. "I'm not gonna let her die."

"...Do you love her?" Rose asked.

The Doctor smiled sadly. "You were brilliant, Rose. And you, Mickey the Idiot. Even you." he kicked the Arthur's sides and the horse galloped forth into the last time window, glass smashing everywhere. And the window sealed itself, France replaced with cogs and humming machinery.

Rose stared into the wall where the Doctor had disappeared.

"What happened?" Mickey asked, "Where did the time window go? How's he gonna get back?" He looked around. "We can't fly the TARDIS without him. How's he gonna get back!?"

Rose looked through the glass panel into the stars. The same stars that the Doctor was looking through, three thousand years ago.

***

For minutes or hours, maybe even days, Rose sat in the Tardis, her one connection with the Doctor. Mickey wandered around the spaceship, looking for something, anything, to do. Maybe he could find a secret panel that he could send a distress call from, something that the repair droids never knew about.

Rose looked around the TARDIS for some food, and found a small refrigerator with some purple alien yogurt. She was starving and depressed. She had no way to contact the Doctor, and the Doctor had no way to contact her.

Then her mobile rang.

She flipped it open and saw an unidentified number. She pressed 'answer' and put the phone to her ear. "Doctor?" She asked, desperately.

Instead of the Doctor's voice, a woman's voice responded with an automated message. "The Time Agency has detected a mobile communication device on the ship, the SS Madame de Pompadour. This ship has been missing for a year. We are sorry for the inconvenience, as your Interspace Positioning System must have malfunctioned. We are now sending two agents, Captain Harkness and Captain Hart, to your vessel, to rescue any survivors. Expect them in roughly two hours. Thank you very much, and sorry again for the inconvenience." The phone bleeped off.

Rose's jaw dropped. 51st Century? Time agent Captain Harkness? This was brilliant. Even if the Doctor wasn't there, she'd be reunited with her closest time-traveling friend. Rose heard footsteps. "Oi, Mickey!"

Mickey Smith, her sort of boyfriend, turned around. "Yeah, Rose?"

Rose smiled. "We're gonna be saved."

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^^, It will be updated soon!


	2. Hart and Harkness

Authors Note: Hello again! I wrote chapters 1 and 2 at the same time, so here's the upload of chapter 2! Thanks for the review Titanic-fanatic! Reviews are love! I think next chapter will be a bit shorter and a snippet with the Doctor. Thanks for reading! xx

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Mickey sat on a chair as Rose paced nervously.

"How long?" Rose asked.

"Probably about two minutes less than last time you asked." Micky rolled his eyes.

"No, seriously Mickey. How long?"

Micky sighed, "Uh, let's see... About twenty-three minutes."

"Oh my God, I'm gonna see Jack again!"

"Yeah, that's the gay American one, right?"

"Oi, Mickey! I'm not even sure he's from America, I mean it is three thousand years in the future from our time. And he's not gay, really... I reckon he'd flirt with anything as long as it's gorgeous enough."

"So, yeah. The gay American one."

"Mickey, you're really not helping. It's been ages since I saw him, literally ages. And the Doctor did sort of abandon him..."

"Well, you said the person on your mobile said 'Agent Harkness.' Maybe it's not even Jack. Harkness may be a common surname in the five thousands. Like we have Smith, ya know?"

"Yeah, Mickey, that's really not helping either. I'd rather it be him than not him. I hope it's him. I don't even remember what century we dropped him off in..."

"So, the Doctor just _dropped him off_... He _abandoned_ him. Is that what he's done to us?"

"Look, Mickey. He was saving Madame de Pompadour. He didn't abandon us. Can you just shut up for a bit?!?"

"Kay, sorry Rose."

Rose just glared at Mickey.

Just then, blue lights flashed on and off in the ship. The ships comm system was activated and a loud voice boomed out. "This is Captain Hart. Captain Harkness and I have just docked our time capsule. We will board the ship in a few moments." The announcement cut off.

"Oh, my God, this is it! Rose and Mickey both jumped to their feet in anticipation. Thena door opened and two men walked out. The one to the left was a bit shorter than the other, and his brown hair was combed back. The other man, a man that Rose recognized, had dark brown, sort of sticky-uppy hair. They both sported different military-type coats and large, black wrist straps, though the shorter man's was a bit smaller.

Mickey sighed a sigh of relief and Rose jumped up and ran forward to hug Jack. "Jack! It's you! Bloody hell, it's you!"

Jack frowned. "Sorry, do I know you?" Then he looked Rose up and down and smiled, putting an arm around her waist, and smiled."I wouldn't mind getting to know you, though."

"Not now, Captain." The other Time Agent glared at him.

Rose slapped herself in the forehead. "Of course!" She shouted, "You haven't met me yet!"

Jack smiled, a bit confused. "Well, I'm glad I've met you now," he flirted.

That earned Jack a prompt kick in the shins from the other man and Micky laughed. "Told you, Rose!"

Rose glared at Mickey as the unnamed Time Agent smiled.

"I'm Captain John Hart, and it seems you know Captain Jack."

"Oh, yes." Mickey laughed. Jack's attention turned to him for the first time.

"In the future, were we..." Jack asked, biting his lip.

"Oh, God no, not like that!" Mickey exclaimed. "Friends. Just friends. Well, sort of. You hated me a bit, but you traveled with our friend and Rose, there..."

Mickey sat back down and Rose laughed. "Yeah, our friend's a time traveler, too, which would be why you haven't met us yet. But we need your help, Jack."

Jack and John both raised an eyebrow. "And what would that involve?" asked Jack.

"I need to contact a man trapped in 18th century France, and get him back here, so I can continue traveling with him and among other things, at some point, return to the 21st century." Rose smiled.

John nodded slowly. "Uh-huh."

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Tell me what you think! ^^,


	3. Stuck on the Slow Path

Authors Note: Thank you for all the reviews and stuff I've got. They keep me going. This is my third update today, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to keep updating three times a day, but I've been home sick all day, so you may even get more! Finally! A chapter with the Doctor again! I thought that this chapter would be shorter but it turned out to be quite a bit longer. Almost 1000 words of story, even though the first bit is dialogue from the episode. Oh, and a disclaimer, cuz I forgot one before:

The BBC owns the show, the characters, and some of the lines from this chapter. I'm merely borrowing the characters. Please don't harpoon me!

Thanks for reading! Continuation of reviews is love! xx

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The Doctor stood by a large window, looking up at the stars, holding a glass of wine, as Reinette walked towards him with a glass of wine herself.

"You know all their names, don't you? I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."

"What's in a name?" the Doctor asked. "Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything"

"Like 'the Doctor?"

"Like 'Madame de Pompadour'." the Doctor and Reinette both laughed, before the Doctor took a sip of wine and turned back to the stars.

"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer." she mused. "Just as you have, I think." She turned to the Doctor.

"From time to time," he replied, still gazing at the stars.

"In saving me you trapped yourself. Did you know that would happen?" she asked.

"Hmm, pretty much." The Doctor turned towards her and smiled.

"Yet, still you came."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I. Catch me doing that again." He shook his head.

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "When the mirror broke the shock would have severed all the links with the ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid, wherever there was a time window. I'll, I'll, uh, pay for any damage..."

Reinette laughed.

"Oooh, that's a thought! I'm gonna need money. I've always been a bit vague about money. Where d'you get money?"

Reinette laughed again. "So here you are. My lonely angel. Stuck on the slow path, with me."

"Yep. The slow path." The Doctor raised his glass. "Here's to the slow path."

They turned back to the window. "Did you know, Reinette, that when you see a star in that sky, you're actually seeing what that star looked like thousands of years ago. It's a bright light, another sun, thousands of light years away. That image is all that's left of its past. Some of those stars are burnt out and dead by now. What we're seeing is just how long it's taken the light, and the image, to get to us."

Reinette shook her head. "I didn't know."

The Doctor gazed into the sky. "Makes those stars seem just a little farther away." He turned back to her.

"What will you do now, Doctor?"

"I'm don't know. Whatever I can, really. I'm not going anywhere. Again, a bit vague with money. Or really anything domestic. It's been what, 800 years since I lived in a proper house... Give or take a few... Blimey, I'm getting old." He exhaled deeply.

Reinette shook her head and smiled. "You're impossible, Doctor."

"That's me!" He winked, and then frowned. "Do you think I'd be able to stay here for a while. A spare bit of the palace, I don't know. It's just I don't really have any place to stay because my only actual home is stuck in the 51st century and--" Reinette cut him off.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. You saved my life, Doctor. The least I can do is to accommodate you."

The Doctor nodded and smiled, relieved. "Thank you." He pointed to his chest. "And I mean that with all my hearts."

Reinette laughed and shook her head. They looked out the window again, just for a moment, before Reinette spoke again.

"Take my hand." she said.

The Doctor placed his hand in hers and their fingers interwove.

"Come with me."

***

Reinette led the Doctor to a bedroom with checkered tile floors and furnished with a large bed and a familiar fireplace.

The Doctor gazed at the fireplace, his eyes lit up. "By any chance is that the original?" He asked, excited.

"I'm afraid not." Reinette shook her head. "It's just a replica. I tried to have the original placed here, in the hope that a door once opened may someday open again -- one never knows when one needs ones doctor -- but it was destroyed in the moving."

The Doctor's face fell a little. "Aww, that's a shame. Oh, well. It's alright. I didn't really expect... So is this your room?" he looked around. You really had to give the French credit for the elegance of their architecture.

"Yes, it is," Reinette replied, "But I have several rooms here. I was hoping you would stay here."

"Oh, thanks. You don't think the King would mind me staying in his mistresses bedroom, do you? He wouldn't suspect... mischief... would he?" The Doctor scratched his neck awkwardly.

"As you say, it is my bedroom, therefore I can do with it what I please. Besides, I've known you since I was seven years old. You're certainly not like Casanova."

"Casanova, hmm?"

"We met, several years ago..."

The Doctor nodded.

"Though, come to think of it, you two do look quite similar."

"Well..." The Doctor looked over at the ticking clock on the mantle. "It's getting a bit late, Reinette. I would expect, especially after the events of today, that the King is wanting to see you."

Reinette sighed. "You're probably right. I will see you tomorrow." She then took the Doctor's head in her hands and kissed him on the mouth.

When they broke apart, she whispered in his ear, "Sweet dreams, my lonely angel."

She walked to the door, before the Doctor called back to her, "Reinette, your nightmares are gone." He smiled. "I bet you'll sleep well, too." Reinette smiled and nodded as she left the room.

The Doctor was still awake by the time that the candles had burned down completely. It was maybe two in the morning when he started to doze off. "I'm sorry, Rose" he murmured, before rolling over, closing his eyes, and letting sleep take him.

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Another chapter done. Next update *should* be today or tomorrow. Or Wednesday if I'm really lazy. All depends on the feedback I get. Thank you all for reading!


	4. Begging & Lack of Plans

Authors Note: Hello again, for the fourth time today! I've watched The Girl in the Fireplace maybe eight times today and to my dismay, learned that the disc is scratched. What to do in this dilema? Download the episode off iTunes! It says it'll take six more hours and it's been going for four already, but it's a fair price for one of my favourite episodes.

I can't say that this chapter is one of the more interesting, but it involves important plot details. If you can make it through this, possibly even with one of those *shiny* reviews, I can promise the next chapter will be a bit more interesting w/ more Doctor in it. For now, enjoy the squabbling of Jack and John! Also, one more note, if I accidentally spell Mickey without the 'e', it's because my best friend is called Micky without the 'e', so I may screw up. I try my best though. Thank you! ^^,

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"Come on, Captain! Please?" Mickey shouted. "We _need_ to get back to our time!:

Jack shook his head. "No can do, Ricky"

"It's Mickey."

"Ricky, Mickey, whatever. Bit no. It's strictly against the Agency's protocol."

Rose laughed, close to hysterics. "Since when have you followed the rules?"

"What makes you think he wouldn't?" John asked, smirking.

Rose glared at him. "I mean, I have some ideas myself," John continued, "Bit I'd like to hear your th--ouch!" Jack had hit John's arm.

"You said that you know me in my future?" Jack asked. Rose nodded.

"Prove it."

***

Rose started pacing again. "Oooh, okay. Um... You love Glenn Miller, specifically Moonlight Serenade... You have a love for World War II, um, you grew up on the Boshane Peninsula.., Oh! The last time you were sentenced to death you ordered a few hyper-vodkas and woke up next morning with both your executioners! Um..."

Jack stared blankly at Rose as John doubled over with laughter.

"Not yet then..." Rose trailed off.

"But you recognize most of that stuff, right? Mickey asked.

"Yeah, some of it's right..." Jack admitted, "But still, I'd be breaking protocol..."

"And that green woman in the bar last month wasn't?" John muttered grumpily under his breath.

Rose walked towards Jack and put her hands on his shoulders, to which he responded by putting his hands on her waist. "Please, Jack. I promise, you can trust me. Please!"

Jack sighed and released Rose. "What d'you think, John?" he asked.

John grinned maniacally. "I think it'd be fun! I've been wanting to pop over to France."

"Great moral compass, you are. And besides, like your wriststrap could handle the capacity."

"Of course it would!"

"Mine's bigger."

"But mine lasts _much_ longer."

"Moving on..." Rose interjected.

Jack looked at Rose's desperate face, then to Mickey, and then to John, whose face lit up with mad enthusiasm.

"How the hell are we gonna work this?"

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Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing! Thank you everyone that's put this on story alert! More will come, probably tomorrow! xxFriday


	5. In the Courtyard

Authors Note: Thank you, everyone, for all of the reviews and story alerts for this story! I love feedback! Another Reinette and Doctor chapter. Apparently spell check thinks that Gallifrey should actually be 'gallimaufry', whatever that is.

Um, disclaimer: I don't own the characters, don't stake me, BBC...

Thank you everyone, for reading! I love reviews! xx

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Madame de Pompadour and the Doctor walked arm and arm through the courtyards of Versailles.

"My life must seem incredibly simple compared to the life you've lived in your world, a world with flying ships and clockwork men."

"Actually," the Doctor laughed, "I think I might prefer this. It's a much more peaceful life. I always thought that if I were to settle down I might come to pre-Revolutionary France. Uh... you didn't hear that..."

"A revolution?"

The Doctor bit his lip. "Don't go telling anyone."

"So, what do you do in your world. It's a much larger world than mine..."

"Among other things, I travel throughout the stars, save people, places, and things, battle evil creatures from other planets. Oh, and I run. Yeah, there's a lot of running..."

"You're like a great warrior, but from many years and stars beyond here and now."

"Well, it's more of me trying to keep the peace. Certainly _trying..._ I like to think of myself more as a traveler."

"...In the vessel, in your world, your friend, Rose, said that there were different rooms, rooms of the days of my life all pressed together like pages of a book so that a traveler such as yourself would be able to step between them without aging and I would take the slower path. Are there many ships like that? Many different ships with many different rooms full of many different people from your history?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not that I've ever seen, no, and I've seen a lot. In a vessel like that it's certainly possible to open many time windows, but I'm not certain why anyone or anything would want to. By creating time windows it uses enough energy to punch a whole in the universe, which isn't especially efficient. The vessel that I came from was badly damaged so that the repair droids - those clockwork men - probably just got confused."

"When I saw inside your mind, Doctor, I saw that you were from far away. Where is your home, Doctor?"

The Doctor swallowed. "I'm from a planet called Gallifrey. It was destroyed in a great war. Two almighty civilizations destroying each other, and I'm all that's left from all of it. So much fire... I'm a Time Lord. You saw that in my mind, I know, but you didn't see that I'm the last of them. I'm the last of an great civilization of time travelers."

They stopped walking and both sat down on a bench. "I'm so sorry. No wonder you feel so alone, my lonely angel." Reinette stroked his hair. "You said that the vessel that you were on was badly damaged. Will Rose and that other man be stuck there?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yep. They're trapped there. I abandoned them, I suppose. They're not even in their own time. They're three thousand years ahead of it. God, Jackie would kill me..."

"Are they travelers like you, then?"

"Not really. They're both human. They're more of my companions than anything else. My friends. It makes traveling a bit less lonely."

"So, in saving me you trapped not only yourself, but your companions as well?"

The Doctor swallowed and looked away. "Yes."

Reinette took his head and made him face her. "Do you regret it?"

"Not really, no." the Doctor smiled. "Is that selfish?"

Reinette shook her head. "You stepped between the days of my life without age. I have known you for thirty years, since I was seven years old, but I have seen you very few times throughout those years. I suspect you have known me for less than a week."

The Doctor shook his head and laughed. "You're incredibly clever, aren't you? You're brilliant! And I don't often say that cause I'm so clever."

Reinette stared into the Doctor's eyes. "How long have you known me?"

The Doctor's smile faded. "About a day."

Reinette laughed. "And through knowing me for about a day you decided to trap yourself with me for the rest of your life?"

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" The Doctor smiled.

"Do you think now, that for a while at least, I may be able to have my angel without the demons?"

"I think you might." The Doctor grinned and took Reinette by the hand. "Come on! There's much more of Versailles that I have yet to see!"

The two ran across the gardens, laughing, hand in hand.

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Lovely mix of angst and um, not-angst... Thank you for reading and reviewing! Reviews keep me going! Also-it turns out **gallimaufry** means medley, jumble, hodgepodge, or variety, etc... Huh... A gold star to anyone who already knew that. If you have the same spell check as me, there's a good chance you did. Thank you! xx Friday McKenzie


	6. Time Travel and Tin Dogs

Author's Note: Yay! Two chapters in a not too long time! Here's another one with Jack, John, Mickey, and Rose. Next chapter will be the Doctor and Reinette again, and the chapter after that will *probably* be the Doctor, Reinette, and Jack. Keep reading and reviewing! Reviews are greatly appreciated!!! Thank you all, so much!

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Jack pressed several buttons on his wrist-strap as he attempted to make small talk. "So, what century are you guys from anyway?"

Mickey opened his mouth but Rose answered. "Early 21st."

Jack nodded.

"So, what exactly is the Time Agency, anyway?" Rose asked.

"Well," John replied, "We go around to different points in time, find time travelers, and make deals with them, hoping to sell them the latest time-traveling merchandise."

"So you're like door-to-door salesmen?" asked Mickey, "Only instead of going door to door, you go through time?"

John shook his head. "That's an understatement. We also sort of act like the police. We go around and catch any travelers that are out of line. And sometimes we do rescue missions, like this one. Or what this one was supposed to be."

"We're sort of 'protectors of the Earth'," Jack added, "The Time Agency branches off from two old Earth organizations."

"They're were actually formed closer to your time than they were ours." said John.

"Yeah, they're UNIT, the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, and the other one was Excalibur. That was founded by Queen Victoria I, but it had a different name then." Jack explained.

"Something 'wood', I think." added John.

Mickey nodded, pretending he had a clue what they were on about.

Rose looked at John. "So, what's your job here? Before it seemed like you were first in command, being the one who spoke over the comms, but I can tell that the leader's Jack. If he's the leader, what are you?"

Jack smiled, mischievously. "He's my eye candy."

"Oi, I'm more than that. I'm the technical support, I'm--"

"The tin dog?" Mickey asked, laughing.

"Nothing tinny about him." Jack smirked.

"But really, I'm much more. Jack'd be useless without me." insisted John.

"Okay..." Rose laughed.

Jack finished pressing buttons on his wrist-strap. "Okay," he said, "Coordinates are set for pre-Revolutionary, 18th century France. Unless it malfunctions, I'll get straight to 1759, when Madame de Pompadour is 37. You said the Doctor will recognize me?"

Rose nodded.

"He'd better. I don't want to have to waste too much time there. Then what?"

"You talk to him and figure out a way to get him back to here."

"He may not like traveling two to a wrist-strap. Travel without a capsule is nasty enough as it is."

"Could we borrow John's?" Rose asked.

John jumped back. "No one is getting anywhere near my wrist-strap."

"We agent's are very protective of our wrist-straps." Jack explained.

"Uh-huh." Rose nodded. "Well, just figure out a way. Maybe the Doctor can teach you how to work the TARDIS or something like that. Just some way to get back, okay?"

Jack nodded. "Yes ma'am." He saluted her and winked. "Be back in a minute." He pressed a couple of buttons on his wrist-strap and after a loud 'pop', he vanished.

John shook his head, smiling, looking at the place where Jack had disappeared. "Mine's so much better."

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References to different episodes and series' and happenings yet to come in canon! Yay! I think I've watched Girl in the Fireplace about six times so far today and I'm still not sick of it. This is a good thing. For some more Jack/John interaction, I'm probably going to be watching Kiss Kiss Bang Bang at some point, and Fragments and Exit Wounds as well. Any suggestions are most certainly welcome! Plot ideas are happily devoured! Thank you for any feedback I recieve! xxFriday McKenzie


	7. No Regret, Great Guilt

Author's Note: Here's a much shorter snippet of story that I think had to be put in. Thank you for all the reviews, especially from you, Titanic-fanatic! And to you, converse universe, thanks for reviewing. I think a couple of your thoughts have been ironed out in this chapter. I'm afraid there was no way to message you, so this is my response. Keep the feedback coming. Questions, concerns, and comments are extremely welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. The BBC does. Do not harpoon me.

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The Doctor sat by the fireplace, gears from broken clockwork men strewn out across the tiled floor in front of him, the sonic screwdriver in his right hand.

Reinette walked in. "What are you doing?" she asked.

The Doctor looked up. "I'm trying to create a small time-traveling device, thingy... I used to be able to save the universe using a kettle and some string. Wish I had some string now... That'd be useful." He patted his pockets. "Oooh!" The Doctor pulled out a ball of twine.

"How did that fit in your pocket?" Reinette asked.

The Doctor looked back to his work. "They're bigger on the inside..."

"You miss her, don't you."

"Yep."

"Do you regret saving me? You said no before, but still..."

"No. I don't regret it. I saved your life, and you're an important figure in history. And Rose isn't going to die. Right before I left I activated a distress signal with her mobile. Someone will come for her, and she'll be okay. But even with her in the 51st century, she's my responsibility." He pointed the sonic screwdriver at a cog he had wrapped with twine. "I promised her mother I'd keep her safe... I don't regret saving you, but I regret not being able to take her. I _do_ feel incredibly guilty. At least she's not alone. She has Mickey. Mickey the idiot..."

Reinette knelt down beside him. "I don't want you to go."

The Doctor turned to her. "Believe me when I tell you, I'd love to stay here. I'd love to take the slow path and settle down, especially here with you. But I love Rose too, and I shouldn't have left her. Since I have, I need to find a way back."

"I thought you were going to stay here for the rest of your life."

The Doctor looked down. "I said that, and I wanted to. But I have a responsibility to her."

"If you get the time traveling device to work, can I come with you?"

He shook his head sadly. "No. You're part of history. I can't change fixed events. The device might not even work, and I'm certainly not getting someone else I care about stuck in a century other than their own."

Madame de Pompadour looked from the Doctor to the twine-covered gears. "How can I help?"

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There. It just took the Doctor a little bit to realize what he needed to do. Thank you for all the reviews! I will update soon! xxFriday McKenzie


	8. Cogs, Twine, Bananas and Jack

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews and stuff! I love you people! Here's chapter 8. I smell a conclusion coming on... There may be a total of ten chapters, maybe eleven. But I'd be happy to take suggestions. Feedback is love! Thank you!!!

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When Captain Jack Harkness opened his eyes in 18th century France, he had one hell of a headache. Almost worse than that frat party...

According to his most _superior_ wrist-strap, he had made it to the right century, year, country, and city. He was in 18th century Versailles. He looked around and noticed he was in a courtyard, and a palace stood directly in front of him. Three men walked towards him, the middle one dressed in expensive-looking clothing. He was also quite handsome. Very quite... Jack walked forward and held out a hand. "Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced himself, "And _who_ are _you_?"

The man didn't seem to be in a great mood. "Who do you think I am, you idiot? I am the King of France, thank you. Be on your way." King Louis shooed Jack away.

As the King walked away, Jack raised his eyebrows and turned the other direction. So far, Jack quite liked France...

As Jack entered the palace, he almost walked into a beautiful blonde woman. A very beautiful blonde woman.

Jack flashed his shiniest smile. "Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?"

The woman smiled impatiently. "Jean-Antoinette Poisson. Madame de Pompadour."

"Really?" Jack smiled incredulously. "Well that didn't take long. I was looking for you. And a man called, what was it? The Doctor. Do you know him?"

Reinette smiled. "The Doctor hasn't mentioned you, but I'm sure he'll be very excited to have a visitor. By any chance, do you know what a 'banana' is and where I could find one? He said he needed one."

Jack smiled. "No, I'm afraid that there won't be bananas in France for a while, but if you could take me to the Doctor, that would be wonderful."

***

Reinette and Jack walked into the room that the Doctor had strewn bits and bobs and twine across.

Jack cleared his throat. "Uhh... Doctor?"

The Doctor looked up and then sprang to his feet, an incredulous look on his face, a banana in his hand. "What the _hell_ are _you_ doing _there_?!?"

Jack smiled. "Rose said you'd recognize me. Where'd you find a banana?"

The Doctor smiled. "Pockets."

"Hmm." Jack looked the Doctor up and down. "Huh, by the way that Rose talked about you, I expected you to be a bit older. Your quite... _nice._"

"Not now, Captain." the Doctor smiled. "Wait, Rose? How did you find her. How, why..?"

"The Time Agency detected a distress signal from a mobile communication device. We investigated and found a long lost spaceship, a pretty blond, and her sort-of boyfriend."

"Sort-of boyfriend? What, Mickey?"

"That's the one."

"Aaah. So... You've not met me until now, have you?"

"No."

"What age are you?"

"I'm twenty-nine."

"Hmm." The Doctor pondered this, with a pondering face.

"What..?"

"You're gonna meet me for the first time in just months from now, but when I met you, you had no clue who I was. That needs to stay that way. Wait... Can you remember the past two years?"

"Should I not be able to?"

"Uh, just forget it. So, Rose. How is she?"

"She's worried. Both about you and herself. And so is what's-his-name, Ricky?"

"Mickey."

"That's it. Rose wanted me to come here to talk to you about how you're gonna get back to the 51st century. I can take you with my wrist-strap, if you want. Or, she said something about a TARDIS..."

"Nah, forget the TARDIS for now. I'll go with you via wrist-strap."

"When do you want to go?"

The Doctor looked from Jack to Reinette. His gaze lingered on Reinette. Then he turned back to the Captain. "I'm staying here one more night." He turned to Reinette. "Is there somewhere that Jack can stay?"

Reinette nodded and turned to Jack. "Down that corridor, third door to the left, go down to the end of that corridor and then turn left three doors down."

Jack smiled and walked off.

Reinette turned to the Doctor. "I don't want you to go."

"I'm not going anywhere, right now." He smiled at her. "Not tonight." He proceeded to chuck all the cogs and wheels and gears onto the floor by the fireplace. He took her hand and they both sat down on the bed.

She kissed him. He kissed her back.

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Tell me what you think! Thank you for reading. I'll update soon. ^^, xxFriday McKenzie


	9. Goodbye

Author's Note: Here is chapter 9! Sorry, I haven't updated for a day, which is the longest so far I've gone without updating. I'm no longer sick, but I did have school yesterday, so in addition to the whole school day I had heaps of work to make up. And I have school again today, but I got done *almost* all of the work. And Friday, I have an extracurricular thing, so Friday at the latest will be when I update again. It may even be this morning, though... Well, here is the Doctor, getting ready to leave. A bit sad, but goodbyes are always sad... Thank you for all of your reviews!

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The Doctor leaned down on the floor to tie his Converse as Reinette watched anxiously.

"How long until you leave." She asked.

"Not long." He swallowed. "Rose'll be waiting, and I'm pretty sure Jack is getting impatient."

Madame de Pompadour nodded.

The Doctor finished looping the lace and stood back up, breathing a long, weary sigh. A long weary sigh which was promptly cut of by Reinette's lips crashing into his. They didn't part until they each gasped for breath.

Reinette looked him in the eyes. "If you're leaving soon, I don't want to waste a moment of it."

The Doctor paused and took a step back. He bit his lip, staring at her. "You're really beautiful, you know."

Reinette blushed and smiled.

"I was just thinking of how I met you." The Doctor smiled. "With all of those clockwork men, the broken clock on the mantle. I met you thirty-three centuries from now, but here we are. Time seems to have a big factor working between us. And so," he smiled, "I have a gift for you." He dug his hands deep within his pockets, searching for the item. After a few moments he made and 'aha!' sound and pulled out a silver fob watch.

"Here!" He handed the watch to Reinette. "I've had this since I was, ooh, I don't know... Ninety or so... _Well _when I was a kid, at any rate. I've been traveling with it ever since and since I'm 900 now, I assure you, I've had it for a while. I suppose I just haven't needed it yet. And since I haven't needed it yet, I'll take my chances that I won't need it. It really has a higher purpose to change my species, but for all intents and purposes, it's a watch."

Reinette rubbed her thumb over the Gallifreyan lettering on its outside. "It's beautiful." She said simply.

The Doctor smiled. "It's one of the few things that's left of my home planet, but more importantly," he winked, "It's part of me."

Reinette looked at the ground. "I wish I had something to give you."

The Doctor lifted her chin. "You already have, Reinette. You gave me a few days without worry. You gave me a concept of what life might be like if I settled down. You gave me you as a companion, but a different kind of companion, and this time, a companion _I_ didn't get in danger or accidentally set the Loch Ness Monster on. I'll be forever in your debt." He smiled.

"Can I ask you one more thing, then?" she asked.

"Anything."

"Come back. When Rose is saved, come and see me. I saw in your mind, how you can travel. Come to me in your magical machine. It doesn't have to be for forever. Just so I know you're alright. So I know that you care."

The Doctor bit his lip. "I'm not too good at timelines. I have a tendency to miss-aim. I sometimes end up on the wrong continent or a year too late, or sometimes a decade... I don't want to keep you waiting. You need to live your life. You _can't _wait for me." He shook his head. "So, I can't make any promises."

She smiled sadly. "How long until you leave?" she asked.

"When Jack gets here, I'll be going."

She nodded again. The Doctor pulled her into a tight hug. They stood there for minutes, just hugging, until a loud cough announced Jack's presence in the doorway.

"Doctor." Jack cleared his throat. "We'd better be leaving."

The Doctor nodded and swallowed. Jack winked at Reinette and started pressing some buttons on his glorious wrist-strap. "Ready, Doctor?" he asked.

The Doctor nodded again. "Goodbye, Reinette."

Reinette stood on the other side of the room, watching them. "Goodbye, my lonely angel." She whispered. "Safe journey."

Jack held the Doctor's wrist tight, hit another button, and then the two disappeared, leaving Madame de Pompadour more alone than she had ever been in her life. She dropped to the floor near the fireplace, gazing into the fire. The absentmindedly opened and closed the fob watch that still sat in her hand.

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There it is. Chapter nine. There's going to be at least one more chapter, and at this point I'm thinking two. Maybe even three. All depends on how my thoughts get divided. Thank you for all the reviews! Reviews are love!!! If I could, I would bake you brownies, and if ever I inexplicably meet one of you reviewers, feel free to hold me to that. Thank you! xxFriday McKenzie


	10. Back at Last

Author's Note: Hello. Here's the *newest* chapter. I may even update again tonight. Thank you all for all of your reviews! They keep me going. Sorry that I haven't been updating as often as I had the first couple of days. I seem to be drawing out the last few chapters... So here they all are, back on the lovely ship. Tell me what you think!

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The Doctor and Jack appeared on board the Madame de Pompadour in the 51st century. The Doctor didn't have a chance to rub his throbbing head - time travel without a capsule was a killer - before a body collided with his and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Oh, my god, Doctor!" Rose cried, "I though I'd never see you again!"

She let go of the Doctor. "Can't get rid of me that easily!" He grinned.

"Doctor!" Mickey shouted. "You're back!"

John looked at Mickey with a bored expression. "Astute observation, Ricky."

Mickey glared at him ant turned back to the Doctor, smiling. "I knew you'd come back!"

Rose snorted and shook her head. "No, you didn't. You thought that he'd abandoned us." She turned back to the Doctor. "And even if you did abandon us, a bit, I'm glad you're back. Madame de Pompadour's alright, then, yeah?"

The Doctor swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. She's good. All the events that are supposed to happen have slotted back into place. And all spatio-temporal hyperlinks--time windows--in the ship are dead." He looked down.

"You alright?" Rose asked, concerned.

"I'm always alright." the Doctor smiled. "I was trying to get back, actually, myself, before Jack came. Though, I'm not sure the machine, device thing would have worked. So it's good Jack was here."

Jack smiled. "Glad to be of service, Doc. If you need me again--"

John gave him a look and Jack promptly shut up.

The Doctor looked at Mickey and at Rose. "Do you want to go home then, now. For a bit. Pit stop. Just a break from... this..." He gestured around the ship.

Mickey nodded. "Yeah, I think I need something a little less... spacey."

"And I need clean laundry." Rose added.

The Doctor smiled. "Back to the 21st century, then."

Jack looked at the Doctor. "I guess I'll be seeing you around, Doc. You said I'll be meeting you for the first time, soon."

The Doctor nodded and then frowned. "Can I see your wrist-strap for a moment?"

Jack raised his eyebrows and unstrapped it. "Here." He passed it over.

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the wrist-strap. The screwdriver hummed for a moment and then the Doctor smiled and passed it back to Jack.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"Oh, nothing, really. Just making sure it was fully charged." The Doctor smiled. "Traveling to the 18th century would have strained the battery. Wouldn't want it running out on you, now. Especially the make of yours. The larger size than the standard makes the battery a bit weaker."

John snorted as Jack reattached the wrist-strap.

"Goodbye, then, Jack. And you, what was your name?" he asked John.

"Captain John Hart." John replied.

"Well, nice to meet you, Captain." The Doctor smiled.

John nodded.

"Well, we'd better get back to the Agency and alert them to the location of the ship. Goodbye Doctor, Rose... Ricky." Jack smiled and winked at Rose.

Mickey rolled his eyes.

Jack and John left. Moments later, a loud popping sound was heard as their space pod detached from the outer hull of the ship.

Mickey, Rose, and the Doctor walked into the TARDIS. Once inside, the Doctor started twisting knobs and pulling levers, as Mickey and Rose watched him.

"What's gonna happen now to our timelines?" Rose asked. "'Cause we've already met him but he has yet to meet us. Is that gonna affect us?"

"Nah," the Doctor shook his head. "When I said I was checking the battery on Jack's wrist-strap, I completely lied. I actually programmed a message in it that could only be registered by the Time Agency. It tells them that they need to give him retcon--that's a memory drug--to erase some of his memories. Remember when we first met him? He said that he'd lost two years of his memories? That's why, now."

Rose considered this. "But how do you know that they'll listen to you?"

The Doctor smiled. "They're from the Time Agency and the Time Agency was kind of built in my honour--long story--but pretty much, they'll do what I say. I entered a code 9 into the message, and that's what I am: code 9. We ready to go?"

Mickey and Rose nodded.

The Doctor grinned. "Allons-y!" He pounded the central bit of the TARDIS with a hammer and the machine brought them back to London, 21st century.

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There, I think that there will be two chapters after this. ^^, Thank you so much for all the feedback! I will update soon! xxFriday McKenzie


	11. Argument and One Last Thing

Author's Note: Hello. Here's chapter 11. They're back in London, the Doctor and Rose have a minor fight, and the Doctor has one more thing he has to do. Thank you for all the reviews! ^^,

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The TARDIS materialized in the Powell Estate, 21st century. Mickey waved goodbye as he headed off to his flat for a while. Jackie Tyler ran out of her flat to greet Rose.

"So," Jackie spoke breathlessly, "Where've you been off to this time, then?"

Rose hugged her mum as the Doctor spoke. "A spaceship in the 51st century... And the 18th century."

Jackie frowned. "When you say the 18th century do you mean that the spaceship's in the 18th century, or that you went to the 18th century as well?"

"Umm... Rather, the 18th century was in a spaceship..."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You talk about spaceships like they're normal and all."

"Well, they are, for me."

Jackie ignored the Doctor and turned back to Rose. "So, you're gonna be back here for a bit?"

Rose nodded. "Hold on a sec, Mum." She ran into the TARDIS and back out again, moments later, presenting her mother with a large backpack full of clothes.

"Any chance you can get a start on these?" Rose bit her lip. "It's only, I have to talk with the Doctor for a minute."

Jackie shrugged. "Sure."

"I'll be up in a minute. See you in a bit."

Jackie nodded and walked off.

Rose turned to the Doctor. "You need to talk to me?" he asked.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, into the TARDIS?"

She followed the Doctor into the blue box. He stood inside with his hand in his pockets, bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking straight at her. He had her attention.

"Why did you leave?" Rose asked.

The Doctor hadn't really been expecting this. Or rather, hadn't been hoping for it. "I thought I mentioned, Rose. Timelines. I needed to make sure that she lived as long as she was supposed to instead of rogue repair droids far from her future coming and decapitating her in the middle of a French ball."

Rose shook her head. "Before, when you left, I asked if you loved her... You wouldn't answer me. And before that, with the time windows, when you had me and Mickey follow the clockwork man and we got captured, you were back in France with her. You were there for hours."

"Rose," the Doctor started, "I was just trying to find out what the repair droids wanted with her and why."

"No." Rose looked at him. "It was more than that. That would have taken minutes, not hours."

"Rose!" the Doctor pleaded, "Just drop it. Please!"

"No!" They both got silent for a moment before Rose spoke again. "Just, why won't you tell me what it was? Please, just tell me."

"I can't." said the Doctor. "I can't because I don't even know what it is. Or was, rather. It was in the past now, and she's long dead by now. And I'm sorry for leaving you there, I am. I'm _so_ sorry, but at the time that's what _needed_ to be done. That's what I needed to do."

Rose looked into his eyes. "Okay."

They both nodded.

"Well," she sighed, "I'm gonna go see my Mum for a bit."

The Doctor nodded. "Um, I'll be right back. I think I should fuel up the engines. I'll probably just stop by Cardiff... I'll be back in just a minute, kay?"

Rose nodded. "See you soon." She walked out the doors of the TARDIS.

The Doctor set coordinates in the TARDIS. He wasn't going to Cardiff. There was one stop he needed to make. It wouldn't take long...

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There's the chapter. Personally, I don't condone the Doctor lying to Rose, but in this case, it's something that he feels he has to do. Read and review! One chapter left! xxFriday McKenzie


	12. Finale

Author's Note: Here it is; the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it. It's a bit open ended, but I leave you to draw your own conclusions. Tell me what you think, and if ever you have an idea that you think I'd be capable of writing, I'd be happy to. Reviews are love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters, or France for that matter, 18th century or present day. Maybe in the future, though, when I'm ruler of all the world... I'll claim France and Wales. :D

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The Doctor set coordinates in the TARDIS and waited. The ship flew through the time vortex and re-materialized back on Earth. He checked the screen in the TARDIS and was happy to see that he'd landed in the right place and time period.

The Doctor took a deep breath and swung open the doors of the TARDIS, to find himself, once again, in the palace of Versailles. He could see through the windows that it was night outside. It was now the year 1763. Just a few days ago had he met little Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in the year 1727.

He went to the room of Madame de Pompadour. No candles were lit, and there was no sign of anyone in the room. The Doctor decided to look around. He aimed the sonic screwdriver at a few of the candles and lit them. Then, on her dresser, he saw a letter. It had red sealing wax on the back. He flipped it over to see an elegant scrawl that read 'to the Doctor', and the ink was still fresh.

He broke open the seal and read:

'My dear Doctor,

The path has never seemed so slow and yet, I fear I am nearing its end.'

He could immediately tell that this was written by Reinette, and continued.

'Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again, but I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen a world in your head and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my love, My days grow shorter now and I am so very weak. Godspeed, my lonely angel. Reinette.'

The Doctor swallowed. "I wish I hadn't had to leave.' he whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

There were footsteps outside of the door and the Doctor considered hiding, but if it was Reinette, the last thing she needed was another monster under her bed. He stayed, instead.

A beautiful woman in a beautiful dress with shadows beneath her eyes walked in. She paused, and her jaw dropped. "Doctor!" she shouted.

"Reinette." The Doctor smiled. She looked older and wearier, but still stunning.

She ran up to the Doctor to embrace him. "I never thought I would see you again!"

"Sorry," he apologized. "I just took the short route again. And I shouldn't have come back here, I really shouldn't have. I shouldn't interfere with any more events, but I had to come. One last time."

She nodded, understanding. "Well, I'm glad you came, even if it is only for a moment."

The Doctor smiled. "So am I, I think." He frowned. "I read your letter. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I made you wait. I never wanted you to..."

"Nonsense." she smiled, sadly. "You have nothing to apologize for. And you've come. You're here now, if only for a short while." She pulled out a drawer in her dresser. "And I still have this." She pulled out the pocket watch.

"I didn't think you'd still have it."

"I do."

The Doctor nodded. "Well, I'm actually going to be leaving soon, but first, I have one more thing to give to you."

Reinette raised her eyebrows.

"Seven years ago, you said that you would like to see the stars a little closer. Go to the window and pick a star, any star."

She ran to the window, looked for a moment and pointed. "That one, there."

"Are you able to travel in that dress?" The Doctor looked at her gown.

"I believe so. Why, am I going somewhere?"

The Doctor took her hand. "Come on." She ran with him into the TARDIS. Madame de Pompadour looked around.

"This is beyond reason, Doctor! It's..."

"Bigger on the inside." He grinned. "Now, I don't have much time, but here we are. One trip. I'll take you to see that star of yours."

He hit buttons and pulled levers and turned some knobs, dancing as he did it. Then he turned to Reinette. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Allons-y!"

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There it is. The end (I think). If there's something more you want me to add, I'll be happy to consider it. Thank you for all of your reviews and comments and such! xxFriday McKenzie


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